UN warns Sudan aid ‘on brink of collapse’ as war devastates Darfur, force mass displacement

The IOM said additional funding was urgently needed to avert “an even greater catastrophe” as Sudan’s civil war rages between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“Our teams are responding, but insecurity and depleted supplies mean we are only reaching a fraction of those in need,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope, who is visiting Sudan alongside UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher. Fletcher arrived Tuesday in Port Sudan for talks with local authorities and UN partners on the worsening crisis.

North Darfur’s humanitarian collapse

The RSF’s recent capture of North Darfur’s capital, El-Fasher, has left hundreds dead and forced tens of thousands to flee amid reports of atrocities. Nearly 90,000 people have fled El-Fasher and surrounding areas, IOM said, describing a perilous exodus through unsafe routes with little access to food, water or medicine.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the situation “remains volatile” after the RSF takeover. While large-scale clashes have subsided, “sporadic fighting and drone activity persist, leaving civilians at risk of looting, forced recruitment and gender-based violence,” UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said.

Many displaced families have sought refuge in overcrowded camps in Tawila, about 70 kilometres (43 miles) from El-Fasher. But conditions there are dire.

‘The displaced are too many’

“We have been getting little food from community kitchens here; we only get lunch meals,” said Sohaiba Omar, 20, from the Diba Nayra camp in Tawila. “We also need a nearby source of water and toilets. Disposing of our wastes in the open can make us fall sick and catch diseases like cholera.”

Batoul Mohamed, a 25-year-old volunteer at the camp, said the sheer scale of need was overwhelming. “The displaced are too many. They are also hungry. It is very difficult to have people come up to us saying that they could not eat because there was not enough food.”

Doctors Without Borders said malnutrition in the camps has reached “staggering” levels. More than 70% of children under five who reached Tawila between late October and early November were acutely malnourished, with a third suffering from severe acute malnutrition. “The true scale of the crisis is likely far worse than reported,” the group said.

A war with no end in sight

The conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army erupted in 2023 after tensions between the two former allies—once meant to steer the country toward democracy—boiled over into open warfare. The fighting has killed at least 40,000 people, according to the World Health Organization, and displaced 12 million more. Aid groups believe the true toll could be far higher.

The violence has since spread to Western Darfur and Kordofan, forcing thousands more to flee. Between Oct. 26 and Nov. 9 alone, nearly 39,000 people fled North Kordofan, according to IOM data.

Diplomatic efforts for ceasefire

As the humanitarian crisis worsens, regional and global actors are pushing for a ceasefire. On Tuesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met Sudanese army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan in Port Sudan, reiterating Cairo’s “unequivocal support” for Sudan’s armed forces and condemning the atrocities in El-Fasher.

“Standing by Sudan is a matter of principle,” Abdelatty said at a press conference after the meeting. He urged both parties to adhere to a peace plan proposed in September by a quartet comprising the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The plan outlines a three-month humanitarian truce followed by a nine-month political process.

While the RSF said last week it had agreed to the truce, the army insists any ceasefire must be preceded by the RSF’s withdrawal from civilian areas and disarmament.

(With inputs from Associated Press)